Published: November 10, 2009 09:32 pm      

Bluefield City Board does not pass video lottery ordinance

BLUEFIELD — A second reading of an ordinance that would have provided certain distances between establishments holding video lottery licenses in Bluefield died Tuesday for lack of a motion to approve it.

The proposed ordinance would have banned the operation of video lottery establishments within 1,000 feet of any church, school or residence. Board member Pete Sternloff said when its first reading was held Oct. 27 that it would essentially ban the operation of new video lottery parlors in the city.

Members of the public were invited to comment before the city board voted on whether to approve the proposed ordinance’s second reading. Tony Szabo of Bluefield, who is working to renovate the former Ramsey School in the city’s downtown Bluefield, said the ordinance would not be “business friendly,” thus discouraging the creation of new businesses that would occupy some of the downtown’s empty buildings.

“If even one gambling establishment takes an empty building, it would be a benefit,” he said. “It’s just so business unfriendly.”

If the city wished to prevent the over proliferation of gambling establishment, an alternative would be to regulate the distance between such businesses, Szabo said.

When Mayor Linda Whalen asked for a motion to approve the ordinance, none of the board’s members moved to do so. The ordinance died for lack of a motion.

Board member Tom Blevins said he had received complaints about problems with drinking, noise and fights around video lottery parlors. While there is not a direct correlation between video lottery and such problems, Blevins said he would ask such businesses to have respect for their neighbors.

In other business, the board voted unanimously to direct City Manager Andrew Merriman to begin the process of drafting an ordinance that would raise garbage fees in the city. Merriman was also directed to start work on scheduling public hearings on the proposed ordinance.

Under the proposal, residential garbage fees would increase from $11 to $15 a month. This would allow Bluefield to use more of its general fund for other parts of city budget.

“I’m just trying to get us to where sanitation pays for itself as closely as possible,” Merriman said.

City board members also voted unanimously to pass a resolution supporting the Ridge Runner miniature locomotive in Lotito Park. The city will provide $10,000 of in-kind service to the train’s restoration project.

Art Riley of the Save the Ridge Runner Committee thanked the board for the resolution. The committee has raised more than $95,000 for the restoration project, and work on the first 360 feet of the train’s tracks has started.